Golf ball scrubber



Feb. 25, 1936. G. A. BRILLHART GOLF BALL SCRUBBER I Filed July 26, 1955 [flue/760x," Ggorge A. Br/W/M/"Z.

Aiomegs UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF BALL SCRUBBER.

George A. Brillhart, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application July 26, 1935, Serial No. 33,312

2 Claims. (Cl. 1597) Golf ball washe provide brushes in pairs with the brush tufts turned toward each other and. between which a golf ball is reciprocated in contact with the brush Such construction is objectionable betufts.

rs as heretofore constructed cause of the wear on the brush tufts which shortens them thereby ments and replacements of the tufts, and also requiring frequent readjustbecause of the arduous hand labor of reciprocat- ;ing the golf balls against the brushes.

The object of this invention is to scrub the surface of golf balls with sponges, making contact by crank instead. of reciprocating movement,

in a manner to rotate the ball and scrub all portions of its surface.

The object is to provide a device of the above character which is simple in construction, easy and efiicient in operation, and which is readily accessible for placing and removing golf balls and for cleaning'and renewing operative parts of the device.

I accomplish the above objects and other objects which will hereinafter appear by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing intended to assist the description but not to define the limits of the invention.

In said drawing Fig. 1 is a View vertical section of form.

in side elevation and partial my invention in assembled Fig. 4 is a detail in vertical section on the line 44 of Fig. 1 looking inwardly.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views of the drawing.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral receptacle cylindrical in shape and initially open at the top, which is provided with a removable 5 designates a container or cover 5, having a flange l, which makes a close sliding fit around the outer top end of the container 5. The cover 5 is here shown as a truncated cone supporting a cylindrical dome 8. The top of the dome has a hole with a bearing 9 for one end of a shaft An outer continuation of the shaft is bent to form a crank H which terminates with an upturned end bearing a hand knob l2 by which the shaft is manually rotated.

At a suitable distance above the bottom of the container 5 is a stationary web l3, having its ends cemented or otherwise fastened to the inner walls of the container.

The center of the web has a hole with a bearing M in which the lower end of shaft I is removably journaled, to properly center the shaft in use, and to allow it to be withdrawn with the cover 6 when the latter is taken off.

A short distance above the web I3 is a metal plate l5 which is supported from the Web by spring clips l6, which, as best illustrated in Fig. 4, comprise metal flanges ll broadened outward-r 1y into a head slidingly engaged by spring clamps l8 fixed to the web.

By this construction the plate I5 is held rigidly against all but an upward pull, but it is capable of removal by a sufiicient pull upward.

Cemented or otherwise rigidly secured to the plate I5 is a comparatively thick circular sponge disk l6, which, by reason of the non-rotatable nature of the plate l5 to which the sponge is secured is also non-rotatable but is removable vertically with plate IS. The plate [5 and sponge disk have registering central holes through which the shaft l0 revolubly passes.

Mounted on the shaft I0 is a circular metal plate ll of approximately the same diameter as plate l5, which is fixed to rotate with the shaft;

here shown by the formation of screw threads on the shaft, on which is screwed a nut I8 upon which the plate l'l rests, and is locked in fixed relation to the shaft by a nut I9 which is screwed down tightly against the plate to clamp the plate between the nuts.

Cemented or otherwise'rigidly secured to the under side of the plate I! is a sponge disk 20 similar in size and shape to the sponge disk IS.

The golf ball, 24, shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3, is placed between the two sponge disks I6 and 20 by lifting off the cover 6 and withdrawing therewith the shaft Ill, plate I! and sponge 20 and when the ball is positioned upon sponge disk Hi the members 6, l0, l1 and 2!] are replaced, as shown in Fig. 1. The sponges l6 and 20 are sufficiently soft and yielding that the weight of cover, shaft and plate ll, cause the golf ball to be pressed into both sponges as shown in Fig. 1.

Should the weight of the above parts prove insuflicient additional weights shown by dotted lines 2| may be added to rest upon the plate H.

In the operation, with the golf ball placed and parts of my device assembled as above described and shown, and the container 5 supplied with soap suds over the plate H, a rotation of the shaft l0 by the manual turning of crank H causes the golf ball to be rubbed by the sponge 20 and rolled around upon and rubbed by the sponge Hi to quickly and thoroughly clean all parts of the surface of the ball.

When cleaned the ball is removed by a reverse operation to that of its introduction into the device.

The container 5 may be made out of metal, clay or other material but will preferably be of transparent glass in order that the ball may be observed through the walls of the container to disclose when it is clean.

Preferably the top 6 will be upwardly tapering and the body elongated to simulate the shape of a soft drink or other bottle for advertising purposes of which the dome 8 is the mouth and seal.

While the above indicated structure will perform entirely satisfactory, it may be preferable to supplement the sponge I6, with a plurality of grooves 25, here shown as three in number and arranged to cross the normal circumferential path of the ball 24 as it may be carried around the pad l6 by the upper pad 20. By so placing the grooves 25, the ball will be given a rotation transversely of its circumferential path so that the outer area of the ball will be more quickly and completely brought into contact with the faces of the two pads. In reference to the material of the pads l6 and 20, this material may comprise a number of substances such as vegetable sponges, sponge rubber, and any other resilient material allowing itself to be compressed to grip the ball as it travels thereover,

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is- 1. In a device for cleaning golf balls, the combination of a receptacle for containing a washing fluid, a cover for the receptacle, a web below the cover fixed within the receptacle, a plate above the Web, spring clamps releasably securing the plate to the web, a sponge disk fixed to the plate, a crank shaft journalled in the cover and in the web, a plate fixed to the shaft within the receptacle, a sponge disk fixed to the last plate on the side next to the first sponge disk, said sponge disks receiving the golf ball between them.

2. In a device for cleaning golf balls, the combination of a receptacle for containing a washing fluid, a pair of horizontally disposed disks in said container, one disk being relatively fixed and the other disk shiftable vertically above the first disk, each of said disks having resilient opposing pads between which a golf ball may be gripped and carried circumferentially around between the pads by rotation of the shiftable pad, the wall of the container serving to maintain the ball between the pads, and at least one of said pads having grooves in its ball contacting face, the grooves being across the normal circumferential line of travel of the ball whereby rotation of the ball transversely of said line may be induced.

GEORGE A. BRILLHART. 

